Antonella Battaglini

Antonella Battaglini is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Renewables Grid Initiative.

Antonella is currently a member of the European Commission's expert group on electricity interconnection targets and has previously been an expert member of the World Economic Forum (WEF)’s 2014-2016 Global Agenda Council on the Future of Electricity. In 2015 she was named one of Tällberg's 2015 five Global Leaders for her commitment to a sustainable energy future and combating climate change. She is also a senior scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) where she leads the SuperSmart Grid (SSG) process, a concept she developed together with her team to reconcile different approaches to the system integration of renewables. By adopting a holistic approach, the SSG addresses the challenges of the transformation of the power sector considering generation, transmission and demand management. In this concept, both centralised and decentralised options play an undisputed role.

Stephanie Bätjer

Stephanie joined the Renewables Grid Initiative in 2013. Her main responsibilities lie with RGI’s communications and media work and she is leading the good practice award activities. She previously worked in the communications team of the European Climate Foundation.Stephanie has studied at the Universities of Marburg and Hamburg, Germany, and the University of Southern Queensland in Australia. She holds degrees in political science and journalism.

Dení Aguilar Bellamy

Dení joined RGI in April 2018. She is responsible for RGI's fundraising strategies. Prior to RGI, Deni worked as a Consultant, managing and implementing international projects in diverse sectors, including programmes founded by the EU Commission. Deni studied Sociology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and La Trobe University in Australia, and she holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from Xiamen University in China. Before coming to Berlin, she lived and worked in the Asia -Pacific region for over 8 years.

Andrew Carryer

Andrew Carryer joined RGI in November 2014. He is responsible for RGI’s environmental protection and nature conservation work. Andrew holds an MSc in Environment and Development from the University of Edinburgh, specialising in international energy policy. He previously worked in the solar PV sector and has interned at the South African offices of a global environmental consultancy, where he assisted on environmental and social impact assessments.

Andrzej Ceglarz

Andrzej became an advisor to the RGI Secretariat in June 2017. He is working currently on his PhD thesis at the Bavarian School of Public Policy at the Technical University of Munich. Andrzej has worked with RGI since 2014, being engaged as researcher in the INSPIRE-Grid project. He is interested in energy policy decision-making processes including European and local levels, issues of stakeholder engagement and contributions of transdisciplinary research to energy policy advancements. He holds a Master Degree in International Relations from the Wrocław University (Poland).

Matilde Doni

Matilde joined the Renewables Grid Initiative in March 2017, taking on the position of Personal Assistant to the CEO. She studied at the Berlin School of Economics and Law where, at the end of 2016, she earned a Master's degree in International Economics. Her thesis focused on the role of the private sector in adaptation to climate change within developing countries. Her bachelor studies, which took place in the city of Trieste, were also related to economics. Prior to RGI, Matilde worked at the Carbon Disclosure Project as an Intern in Financial and Project Reporting. She grew up in the countryside of Italy, in the region of Venice.

Michael Hickin

Michael joined RGI in April of 2018 and is managing RGI’s marine work program. From Australia originally, he brings experience in the environmental (including marine), climate change and energy (CCS) sectors. Michael has worked in government, as well as with private and non-for-profit organizations in various strategic and project-based positions, involving analyses of global environmental, clean energy and climate change trends. Michael studied in the areas of international commerce and natural sciences while at the University of Adelaide.

Matthew Keehan

Matthew joined RGI in September 2018 and is responsible for the financial management, reporting, and budgeting of RGI. He is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. Matthew has previously held several positions in the private sector within Finance Management and Financial Planning & Analysis bringing experience of forecasting, financial modeling, and project accounting. His most recent position was as Finance Manager for a large construction company where he was solely responsible for the divisions of Piling and Waste Treatment.

Sylvia Kessler

Sylvia has been part of the RGI secretariat since September 2011 and is in charge of administrative works. Until December 2013 her position also included office management for the Smart Energy For Europe Platform (SEFEP). Sylvia spent several years in Johannesburg, South Africa, working as a secretary for the industrial department of Mannesmann Anlagenbau and the AEG Industrial Dept. During the last 7 years before joining RGI she was in charge of sales and general administration for a Spanish trading agency in Germany. Sylvia has the Spanish nationality and grew up in Germany. She speaks English, German and Spanish fluently.

Johanna Meier

Johanna joined RGI in 2018. She is part of RGI’s communication team. She previously worked as a public affairs consultant for the maritime industry as well as in the communications office of the OECD. Johanna studied law and public policy at King’s College London, the Humboldt University in Berlin as well as the Hertie School of Governance and the University of Tokyo.

Antina Sander

Antina Sander joined RGI in March 2012. She is responsible for the instigation and coordination of national TSO/NGO collaboration projects, for providing feedback to EU grid development processes and RGI's organisational planning. In 2011, Antina has finalised an MSc in Environmental Management and Policy at Lund University, Sweden where she has written her master thesis about grid expansion and public acceptance. The thesis "From 'Decide, Announce, Defend' to 'Announce, Discuss, Decide'" won the first prize of the "Ökostrom für Alle!" Award in 2012. Antina furthermore holds an MBA and has been working for seven years in the private sector (strategic management consultancy and in the consumer goods industry) and with the United Nations.

Cristina Simioli

Cristina Simioli started working at RGI in January 2018. She works with TSOs, NGOs and other stakeholders to improve their mutual understanding and find innovative solutions. At her previous position with a global environmental engineering consultancy, she coordinated initiatives in the energy market and stakeholder engagement projects. She studied Communication and International Affairs at the University for Foreigners of Perugia, Italy, and at the University of Lyon, France. She has a certificate from the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2).

Trouble

Networking expert

Although he may sound like a lot of trouble, quite the opposite is true. Trouble is the well-behaved, friendly and compassionate office dog that knows how to put a smile on every person’s face. Trouble often hangs around the coffee machine and entices anyone to stay that is trying to grab a quick beverage or just simply walking by. Before you know it, Trouble has brought together people in discussion on various topics ranging from climate change to the de-stressing effects on humans brought on by canine interaction.